


Unexpected Delivery

by DrChickenSlinger



Category: Naruto
Genre: GaaLee, LeeGaa, M/M, Mailman AU, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 04:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17481389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrChickenSlinger/pseuds/DrChickenSlinger
Summary: Lee is a dedicated postal worker who loves his route and the people on it.  When covering a route for a friend, he finds that sometimes breaking routine can be worth it





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This is the first fic I have ever written. miss_macabre_grey mentioned a mailman au to me and I thought it sounded so funny at first but then it made sense, so I decided to make this for her! Thank you to Grey for her support (please go check them out, she is currently writing an amazing gaalee fic called "The Joy of the Lips") as well as to my friend Freddie (dominopes on here) for encouraging me to post this! We'll see how it goes I guess!

Lee loved his job. While most postal workers often complained that the hours were too strict and the workload too heavy, he loved nothing more than being able to perform an important task for his community. Lee was a devoted mailman, often opting for pavement pounding rather than sporting the standard mail truck. His best friend Neji often scolded him, worried about thugs and the occasional stray dog, but Lee always insisted that the best way to get to know Konoha’s citizens was by being in the middle of it, thugs and dogs included. 

Being a mailman allowed Lee to enjoy his day the way he wanted to. He would explore his city in the mornings on his mail route, attend a few classes at the local community college in the afternoons, then wrap up his day by teaching a taekwondo class in his fathers’ dojo. 

Lee was in the middle of wrapping up one of said classes, when the door slammed open. 

“Lee! I’m so glad you’re still here!”

“Tenten! What an amazing honor it is to see you here!” Lee turned and bowed to the class. “My beloved students, I will see you all for practice tomorrow!”

The kids bowed back with a mumbled “Yes Lee-Sensei” and ran off to their bags. Tenten walked up to Lee and promptly pinched her nose. 

“Lee! You smell terrible! What have you been doing all day?”

Lee sheepishly scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. 

“My apologies Tenten! I joined Kakashi and Gai for lunch today and didn’t have time to take my usual after work shower.”

Tenten delicately pushed Lee’s elbow down and away from his head in order to try and contain some of the stench. He walked away a few paces and grabbed his towel and water. 

“What brings you here?” Lee asked in between sips of water. 

“Oh right! Sorry, your stink waves must have killed a few of my brain cells!” She teased, punching him lightly on the arm. “I actually have a favor to ask you.”

Lee had placed his water down and began toweling his sweat soaked bowl cut. “But of course my beloved friend! What can I do for you?”

“I know this is super last minute, but is there anyway you could cover my route for me tomorrow? There was a last minute drop out for the metal workshop and they’re offering extra credit for it! I would understand if you couldn’t, I know your route is already two times as long as the average route and you do it all on foot and-“

Lee’s sweat soaked towel landed on her head with a plop. She shrieked and threw it across the room, while Lee snort laughed to himself. 

“Lee what the hell was that for?” She sighed, placing a small but deadly fist on her hip. 

“You simply worry too much sometimes my dear friend! There is absolutely nothing I would rather do than help one of my most precious people out, especially in such a youthful endeavor such as their schooling!” Lee jutted his thumb out and gave Tenten a smile even brighter than the fluorescent lights illuminating the dojo. Tenten smiled gently up at him and ruffled his hair. 

“Thank you Lee. I really appreciate it and I’ll make it up to you! 

“It has already been made up as there is no greater favor than friendship.” Lee said, turning to pick up his phone. “Now, please describe your route to me.”

After giving him the full details and helping Lee map out the route on his running app, Tenten turned to leave. 

“Thank you so much Lee, I really do appreciate it! Please be careful, maybe consider driving a mail truck tomorrow?”

Lee pulled her into a quick hug. 

“As much as I truly appreciate your concern, I would much rather use the extra route as training. If I do not deliver all of the letters by my twelve o’clock class then I will personally lick and seal a thousand envelopes! And then it will be 2,000 push ups in the mail room before our manager kicks me out! And then-“

Tenten smiled to herself as Lee’s challenges faded into background noise while she walked out of the dojo and down the street. Although they had only met two years earlier when applying for the postal position, she considered him as close as a brother, even with his many quirks and eccentricities. Anyone would be lucky to have as devoted a friend as Lee. 

The next morning, Lee arose at his usual 3:30 AM. After a quick breakfast of two protein shakes and a grapefruit, he did his usual breathing exercises and meditation. Once that was completed, he tied up the laces on his running shoes, making sure they were extra secure, buttoned up his green Konoha Postal Service shirt, ran a comb through his silky black hair, and practically buzzed in anticipation of a new route as he made his way to his car. As much as he loved his current stops, he loved being able to visit more people. He also knew that Tenten’s route lead through a new street filled with small businesses that he had been wanting to check out, but couldn’t seem to make the time to do so. 

Lee arrived at the post office and grabbed his oversized, custom made mail bag. He had to create one that would not only hold all of the mail on his extremely lengthy route, but one that would also be able to handle the force of his sprinting. Lee packed up the mail for his usual stop, knowing how to organize it quickly and efficiently. He began sorting through Tenten’s stack, referring to his notes as needed and studying each business name. 

He recognized one store, “The Sound Village” as a new record shop his classmate Naruto had begged him to go to. There was also “Iwa Antiques”, “Kiri Cakes” and “Suna Succulents.” Each one fairly new, as well as fairly intriguing. Lee pushed his thoughts to the side as he expertly organized each letter according to Tenten’s instructions. Once he had all of the mail and small packages sorted, he was ready to go. 

Lee popped in his head phones and slid his mail bag on, barely noticing the extra weight from his added route. As he got outside of the mail room, he got into a runner’s position. All of the other postal workers ignored him, used to seeing this daily, although when he first started he often got a few sideways glances. 

After a few steadying breathes, Lee took off like a gun. He zipped through his first few stops, already having the parcels in hand. He usually opted to make these stops early in the morning, knowing that the people he was delivering to wouldn’t be as eager for friendly conversation as some of the others would be. He skillfully slipped in letter after letter, mailbox after mailbox, as the sun rose over the Hokage Mountain. 

Lee knew every street corner and the name of every person he delivered to. He knew what sidewalk cracks to avoid and exactly when to throw out a dog treat to avoid being mauled by a particularly fierce chihuahua. He also knew that the little old lady that lived at the end of his mail route would always ask him to stay for tea when she was awake. He glanced at his watch, realizing he had only two hours left until his class, and picked up speed. 

After his usual cup of tea with the kind older woman, he bowed at her front porch, thanking her for the cup of tea as his bag slipped up his back. Though lighter now, he still had to finish Tenten’s route before his class started. Lee bit his lip as he waved his goodbye, worried about finishing his friend’s route. 

Usually Lee preferred to complete tasks at breakneck speed, but he now opted to jog through the last stretch, worried about missing any businesses in the crowded, newly added street. He fiddled with his watch as the minutes ticked closer and closer to noon, leaving him with only twenty minutes to finish his deliveries with barely enough time to make it to campus. He dropped a few bills off to the record store, and gave the bakery and antique store their various packages. Lee struggled to maintain focus, wanting to look around and explore the new additions to his well memorized town. He mentally recorded different things he wanted to come back and investigate, such as the cookies and cream cupcake at Kiri Cakes and an old stack of Queen albums hiding in the corner of the musty record shop. How it was already covered in dust having just been opened, Lee didn’t know. He assumed that it was just part of the aesthetic the shopkeeper was going for.

Lee headed toward the last store on the route. He had planned to quickly deliver the two small boxes and various envelopes to the cashier and then dash to the community college. As he ran next door, a flash of red in the storefront caught his eye. An attractive young man, maybe a year or two younger than him, was pruning a few withered leaves from the bottom of an aloe vera plant. Lee couldn’t help but stare, the man’s looks drawing him in and shutting off all of the cogs in his brain. He had striking blue-green eyes, similar to the ocean he and his dads use to visit when he was younger. Above his left eye a deep red Kanji could be seen, whether permanent or not Lee didn’t know, but how he wished to be able to find out. Lee, lost in his admiration and not aware of the intricacies of this particular street, caught his toe in a raised sidewalk panel. He tumbled to the ground in front of the shop, knocking the wind out of himself and scraping his arms significantly, trying to catch his fall. He lay in a daze on the ground, and glanced at his watch. “Looks like I will be licking a lot of envelopes tonight.” he sighed. It was now two minutes past noon and Lee was definitely going to miss his class.

 

Gaara finished misting the cacti behind the store counter and made his way to the front where the other succulents were kept. He put his spray bottle down and began picking some of the more withered leaves off of his aloe vera, making sure to fluff the dirt as he went. Gaara loved his shop, and he loved working with plants. He loved the hard work, the smell of the dirt, and the reward of being able to put something back into the earth. He had graduated from college just that previous semester with a degree in botany. He had thrown himself into his work, his constant anxiety always needing a task to complete, which had allowed him to graduate far ahead of most of his classmates. Gaara didn’t really care about the timeline, he had just wanted to do something he loved. His father had wanted him to become a detective like he was, but Gaara knew law enforcement wasn’t something he could handle mentally. He wanted to pave his own path, sow his own seeds, both metaphorically and literally. 

As Gaara finished pruning the last of his aloe vera plants, a movement outside caught his eye. A mailman, who he had not seen on this route before, was sprawled across the ground. Gaara, slightly shocked, examined him, noting his obnoxiously orange calf length socks and his dark, shiny hair. Though some may have considered this a rather ridiculous sight, Gaara thought the look suited him quite well, and couldn’t help but stare at his defined lower back muscles as his uniform rode up slightly from the weight of the bag whose contents were now strewn on the sidewalk.

Gaara quickly snapped himself out of his daze and ran out to help the man. He let the store’s door fall shut as he bent in front of Lee. 

“Are you okay?” Gaara asked, his forehead scrunching in concern. Lee’s already flushed face continued to redden as he looked up at the man he had just previously been admiring. He jumped to his feet with a yelp staring over the top of Gaara’s head. 

“I am so very sorry, sir! I did not mean to cause such a commotion! Please accept my sincerest apologies!” Lee folded himself in half in a deep bow and extended his right hand, growing more and more embarrassed as the seconds passed.

Gaara gently grabbed his extended arm and turned it over. “You’re bleeding pretty severely. Please come into my shop and we can get you some bandages.”

Lee removed his arm from the handsome strangers hand, trying to hide his wince as he straightened. “It really is no problem, I do not want you to have to be bothered anymore than you already have! Besides, I am running very late on my mail route and must get these last items delivered.” 

Gaara knelt down and began gathering the envelopes closest to him. “It looks like the delivery has been made.” He said, smiling gently at Lee.

“You-you’re Gaara, the owner of Suna Succulents?! But you’re so young!” Lee exclaimed, then quickly clamped his hand over his mouth. He had forgotten the previous tumble he had experienced and quickly pulled his sidewalk-scratched hand from his mouth as tears grew at the corner of his eyes. 

Gaara finished gathering his items and stood to face Lee with that same gentle smile. “Yes, I am Gaara. It’s nice to meet you, even if under the not so ideal conditions. And you are?” 

“Oh how rude of me! I am Rock Lee,” He said giving a salute and his famous ear to ear grin. I normally don’t have this postal route but was covering for a dear friend. Please, call me Lee!” 

“Well, Lee, you are bleeding on my sidewalk. Please come inside so we can get you sorted out” Gaara said, his eyes kind as he teased. Lee smiled sheepishly and tried to brush off some of the dust from his uniform. “Thank you for your kindness, Gaara, I promise not to be a bother for too long.”

“You’re not a bother at all, Lee.” Gaara said as he held the door open. Lee ducked through and took in the earthy scent of the shop. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of as many plants as he possibly could. The store contained multiple variations of succulents, some that Lee knew didn’t grow natively to Konoha. Multi-colored sea glass chimes hung in the window, twinkling as the afternoon sun shone in. Hand crafted pots lined the shelves, each one unique in size, color, and design. The shop itself was dimly lit with only the windows and a small skylight brightening the room, but the care and love that so obviously went into each aspect of the store shone in it’s own beauty.

“Follow me to the back, I have a first aid kit we can use to disinfect your scrapes.” Gaara said, making his way past the shelves. Lee followed, continuing to admire Gaara’s handy work. He tried to keep his mind off of the fact that he not only very clumsily fell in front of this handsome stranger, but that the same man also turned out to be very kind on top of already being attractive.

“You must work very hard in your shop.” he said, trying to look anywhere but at the back of Gaara. “Your family must be very proud.”

Gaara visibly stiffened at this. “My… Siblings do seem to be proud.” Lee noticed the omittance of any mention of parents and decided to change the topic, worried he had made Gaara uncomfortable.

“Have you enjoyed being in Konoha so far?” He asked as Gaara pulled down a first aid kit from the top of a storage shelf. He grabbed an old wooden stool for Lee to sit on as he began to pull out various disinfectants and a large roll of white gauze.

“It is a very beautiful city. I do miss the company of my siblings and old acquaintances, but I have my plants to keep me from being too lonely.” He said as he began to tenderly clean Lee’s wounds. Lee grimaced as he began wiping dirt and small rocks out of his skin. Gaara glanced up at Lee through his shaggy red hair and noticed his large eyebrows pulled down as he tried to maintain a strong demeanor. Gaara found it endearing and rather cute, although he would never admit to the latter.

“Have you lived in Konoha long?” Gaara asked as he finished inspecting one arm for any further traces of dirt and started on the other.

“Oh yes!” Lee nodded excitedly. “I have lived here my whole life with my two Dads. I grew up in an apartment over the top of their dojo and hope to inherit it someday!” He pulled his free arm up in a determined fist, too caught up in the idea of his dreams to not notice how much the raw skin stung.

Gaara smiled, as he finished cleaning Lee’s other arm. “That sounds like a very noble life you lead, Lee.” He blushed as Gaara stared at him. 

“O-oh! That is very kind of you to say. However, mine pales in comparison to yours! You are very successful and young, I would only hope to be as half as independent and prosperous as you are!”

Gaara stood up and made his way to the front of the store, leaving Lee alone on the wooden stool examining his bright red scratches. After a few moments, Gaara walked back to Lee holding one of the aloe plants he was seen pruning before. He ripped part of a leaf off and began squeezing the healing gel onto Lee’s arms.

“We are all different Lee, just like my succulents. We each are used for different things and are created for different purposes. You cannot compare a cactus to an aloe plant for example. While a cactus may look thorny and hard on the outside, it often contains life saving water that a lost desert traveller could greatly benefit from. Aloe vera plants are very soft and somewhat fragile, but have the power to heal others by breaking themselves. Both different, yet equally valuable.”

Lee began to tear up as Gaara’s metaphor concluded. He looked up at Gaara through his wet lashes. “You are a very kind man, Gaara. I am so glad that out of all the stores I fell in front of, it happened to be yours.”

Gaara laughed lightly and grabbed a roll of white gauze. He began wrapping Lee’s arms, extending the bandage from his elbow and through the tips of his fingers. The wrappings may have been excessive, but Gaara was unwilling to end the contact with Lee so soon.

After what was in Gaara’s opinion too short of a time, Lee stood to leave. “Thank you so much for your hospitality Gaara, I really must repay you in some way!” He stared at Gaara, eyes shining and hopeful.

“Tell you what Lee,” he said as he made his way to the back of the store counter. “Take this. And perhaps join me for dinner sometime? It could be your treat?” Gaara handed Lee the aloe vera plant he had used to treat his scrapes with a tag on it that held Gaara’s phone number. Lee turned a furious shade of bright red as he took the plant.

“G-Gaara! It would be such a great honor to go out to dinner with you! And I would be more than happy to treat you, even if you hadn’t been so courteous today.” 

Gaara smiled and reached for a small congratulatory bouquet his siblings had sent him when his store had opened. He plucked off a small stem of forget-me-nots and slipped it behind Lee’s ear.

“Well then, Lee, looks like it’s a date.”

Lee gently touched the tips of the flowers now tucked in beside his dark hair. “A date.” he agreed, smiling hugely at Gaara which he reciprocated with his own small grin.

Lee continued smiling to himself as he made his way out of the store. He didn’t bother heading to campus to finish what was left of his class and instead opted to look for Tenten. They had a mail route swap to discuss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, here’s another chapter I guess! I just wanted my sweet boys to go on a nice gentle date ;-; I’m a big fan of hand holding, can you tell?
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to the on and only Deebster who previewed this chapter for me and, in their words, “👪 that emoji is us as the parents and the chapter is the child.” Go check them out on here, Dominopes! 
> 
> Anyways, this one felt like it was a flaming pile of trash, but that just might be me projecting how I currently feel onto the chapter. Hope you all have a great week!!

“Sounds like Prince Charming fell right into your lap, huh?” 

“He didn’t fall into my lap he fell onto my sidewalk.” Gaara huffed, balancing his phone between his shoulder and his ear. He dipped the nail brush back into the bottle of black polish and continued covering his nails in smooth strokes. 

“Besides, Temari, I kind of forced him to go out with me. He felt guilty that I was so generous. It’s a one time thing, just to make up for my love-sickened assistance.”

He could practically hear Temari roll her eyes through the phone. 

“Gaara, you’re handsome and charming, even if you are a pain in the ass sometimes. Mr. Bowl Cut will fall head over heels for you. No pun intended.” 

Gaara sighed and closed the bottle of polish. Even though he wished the same, he didn’t want to get his hopes up. He had never really had much luck with relationships previously and was pretty much used to the disappointment now. Even though it stung, it was a comfortable sting. It was better for him to expect the inevitability of pain rather than wish for something he felt he couldn’t have. 

“Well, let's hope that he doesn’t actually fall. I’ll go out of business if I give a plant to every handsome stranger that injures himself.” Gaara said, forehead scrunched at the thought. 

Temari laughed. It gave Gaara a fleeting sense of homesickness. Even though he didn’t care much for his hometown itself, he had strong bonds that kept him going back. He made a mental note to schedule a trip sometime in the next few weeks as he fiddled with some stray polish on his cuticles. 

“Just be safe, Gaara. And have fun, try not to take it too seriously.” 

Gaara paused as his anxiety ridden brain ran through all of the negative possibilities for the tenth time since Lee had left his shop that morning. It hadn’t been longer than twenty minutes after he had left that Lee called to ask him to dinner. Temari thought this was a good sign. Gaara thought it was Lee trying to get rid of the guilt. 

“Thank you, Temari, I’ll try. I will let you know how it goes.” Gaara said, letting out a deep breathe. 

“You better! We’ll do a three-way call with Kankuro, I’m sure he’ll want to hear about it too.” She said, her voice gentle in a way it rarely was. 

After saying goodbye, Gaara tossed his phone onto his bed and flopped down face first. After a few deep breaths, he rolled onto his back and absent-mindedly stared at his now black nails. His thoughts strayed to something else that was black, pictured his hands running through Lee’s silky hair. He shook that train of thought out of his mind and scowled at the ceiling, as if his current dilemma was all it’s fault. Deciding that moping wasn’t going to delay the date any further, Gaara got up to finish getting ready. After combing his hair and putting on a simple outfit that consisted of a sleek black top and maroon slacks, he walked down the stairs from his apartment to the store front. He sat on the stool which had earlier been occupied by Lee, crossed his leg, and waited. 

~~~

“And then, I totally tripped in front of his store-“

“Because you were checking him out, yes, Lee we know!” Neji said crossing his arms in a huff. 

“I was not checking him out!” Lee insisted. “I just so happened to be distracted by a sudden flash of red, which just so happened to be attached to a youthful-“

“And handsome!” Tenten interjected. 

“-young man.” Lee said, slightly deflated. He loved his friends, but they had a hard time keeping quiet during his retelling of glorious circumstances and blooming love. 

“We know, Lee, this is the fiftieth time you’ve told us this story! We’re really happy for you, we really are, but we don’t need to memorize every detail!” Tenten said teasingly. She was lounging on Lee’s bed, her head resting on Neji’s thigh. Neji sat slightly leaning over Tenten as he plucked her eyebrows. Lee had politely asked them to do it somewhere else, but Tenten insisted that Neji pluck them immediately and Neji had refused to sit on the dirty floor. Lee quickly gave up on the argument since they were his friends and they were helping him get ready for his date, but made a mental note to shake his sheets out later.

His friends insisted in participating in his date preparations as both Tenten and Neji knew that if Lee was left to his own devices, he would either wear something crazily extravagant, or talk himself out of going altogether. 

“So, Lee, what are you thinking about wearing?” Tenten asked. 

“Hm, I do not know for sure just yet. We’re going to ‘The Akatsuki’ so I need to dress fairly nice.” Lee said, his chin resting in his hand as he stared at his closet. 

“The Akatsuki?!” Neji shrieked. Tenten joined in on the shriek as he yanked on one too many eyebrow hairs at once. 

“Neji, you idiot, be careful!” Tenten growled, yanking the tweezers from his hand. 

“Oh, sorry, Tenten,” he said, awkwardly patting her now slightly over-tweezed eyebrow. “Lee, you know that place is expensive. Is this gardener really that special?”

Lee looked back over his shoulder at his best friends as the tips of his ears turned pink, chewing his bottom lip nervously. 

“I- I guess it is a bit too much. Perhaps it was a bad idea, I should have just refused the plant and paid for the bandages. Perhaps it is not too late to take that route, I can also offer to scrub his sidewalk…”

Tenten rolled her eyes and hit Neji on the knee. “Look what you did now, smart ass.” She said as Neji jerked his leg up, jostling Tenten’s head. 

“Lee, that’s not what I meant, don’t go overboard. I just wanted to make sure that you were sure about this.” Neji said, his usually stern demeanor softening as he stared at his friend. “You tend to go above and beyond for people that don’t deserve it and I hate to see you being used like that. 

Lee nodded his head as he sat near the foot of the bed by Tenten’s legs. She propped her feet up on his thighs as he looked at his friends with a sad grin. 

“I understand your concern, Neji. I do have the tendency to give a lot without receiving anything in return. But Gaara is very kind and has already done a lot for me. Even if it goes no further, I at least owe him a great night!” Lee clenched both of his fists and bounced slightly on the bed. 

Neji smiled at Lee as he grabbed the tweezers back from Tenten. “I’m glad you’re being smart about this, Lee. Now, let’s get you ready.”

“Yes! I need to look my best for a lovely evening! It’s what Gaara deserves!” Lee proclaimed, jumping from his bed, jostling Tenten in the process. “Now, what should I wear?”

“Actually, I was thinking we could start with your eyebrows.” Neji stated mischievously, moving Tenten to get off of the bed. Lee yelped and ran out of his room down the hall of the apartment as Neji and Tenten ran after him attempting to hold him down. 

~~~

After about five minutes of patiently sitting, Gaara stood and began puttering around his store, unable to sit still any longer. He checked soil moisture three times, inspected each plant for dying leaves twice, and even managed to sweep around the front counter. He glanced at the clock, realizing only ten minutes had passed and that it was still fifteen minutes to seven, meaning another fifteen minutes of anxiety until Lee arrived. Just as he was about to grab the broom for another unnecessary round of cleaning, there was a flash of green outside his store window. Lee dressed in a dark green button up and light blue jeans was pacing in front of the shop. Gaara smiled to himself as he noticed that Lee was carrying a small bouquet of daisies and baby’s breath. He walked up to the door just as Lee began making his third circle on the sidewalk he found himself face down on earlier. A tinkling noise sounded as he opened the door to let Lee in. 

“O-Oh, Gaara! My apologies for being so early, I didn’t know you would be ready quite yet which was why I was, er, waiting out here.” Lee stammered as he held the bouquet out to his date. 

“I’ve actually been ready for quite some time,” Gaara said, taking the small bouquet in his arms. “Thank you for the flowers, they are lovely.” He said, smiling softly up at Lee. 

“Oh no, you have been waiting much too long for me, I am so sorry! I should have arrived much earlier, I-“

Gaara placed a finger on Lee’s lips, quieting him as Lee’s cheeks flushed. 

“You arrived at the time we arranged, Lee, it was simply my poor planning skills. Besides, I was able to complete some, ah, tasks while I waited.” Gaara said, remembering the unnecessary care he gave to his plants just a few moments earlier. 

“Oh, if you have more things to complete I would be happy to help!” Lee said, walking to the store front. Gaara caught his hand and pulled him back, noticing the bandages still on his arm he had placed earlier. 

“Thank you, but my work has been completed and I am quite hungry.” He stated, noting that Lee had kept hold of his hand as he turned back to face Gaara. His smooth pale cheeks pinkened, but he didn’t pull away. 

“Of course! Let us head out, I have heard excellent things about this restaurant!”

Lee continued to babble about the restaurant and it’s reviews as he walked hand in hand with Gaara down the street, heading deeper into the city that he loved. 

~~~

Lee, being the gentleman he was, let go of Gaara’s hand and opened the large glass door for Gaara as they arrived at the restaurant. Gaara noticed how empty his hand felt without Lee’s, but quickly dismissed the thought, keeping in mind that getting to hold Lee’s hand would not become a common occurrence. As if Lee could read his thoughts, he slipped his hand back into Gaara’s, smiling gently back at the red head. Gaara smiled back, heart aching as Lee seemingly tried to prove Gaara’s fears wrong. 

The restaurant was fairly modern with hardwood floors lining the building. Exposed red brick was illuminated by low hanging light bulbs that had no covering and any other surface seemed to be covered in a deep black, even the silverware. Lee felt very out of place, but Gaara’s smooth hand kept him grounded. They walked side by side up to the front where a stern looking, purple haired woman stood. 

“Name?” She asked, glancing up from her computer at Lee. 

“Er, Rock Lee? Reservation for two?”

The woman typed the details into her computer. After confirming the reservation details, she picked up two menus. “Right this way please.”

Her stilettos clicked on the darkly stained floor as she led them to their table. She placed a menu in front of each of them as they sat across from each other. She smiled warmly at Lee, breaking the seemingly stone carved visage. “Enjoy your date, you two.” She turned and walked away as Lee stammered a thank you, turning an even brighter red than before. Gaara looked at Lee expectantly, but he didn’t know what to do or say. He grabbed the glass of water in front of him and chugged almost the whole glass in one gulp. Gaara looked around, pretending to be oblivious to Lee’s nervousness and apparent life-threatening dehydration. 

“Welcome to ‘The Akatsuki’, my name is Dei and I will make sure you have an explosive evening.” Deadpanned a blond waiter. Lee glanced up at him, glad for the distraction. “Have you had the chance to look at our drink menu yet? If not may I recommend the ‘Tsukuyomi’, it will be sure to fulfill your wildest dreams.”

“Er, no thank you, I’ll just have a water.” Lee said, glancing at his already partially drained glass. 

“Very well.” He said, slightly bored. He turned to fully face Gaara, looking him up and down rather obviously. “And for you, handsome?” He asked, winking at Gaara. Lee stared down at the table, wanting to sink into the ground. He imagined Gaara getting up and walking away with the attractive waiter, laughing at Lee as he-

“Er, no, we’ll both just have water.” Gaara said, resting his hand on Lee’s from across the table. The blond’s smile quickly reduced into a frown. 

“I’ll just bring out a pitcher then I guess.” He mumbled as he walked away. Lee turned towards Gaara, realizing his hand had still not moved. 

“So… are your scratches still bleeding?” Gaara asked, picking at the gauze around Lee’s arm. 

“Oh, no, I, er, forgot to take them off?” Lee said sheepishly, staring intently at the table in front of him once again. He didn’t want to admit that he had kept them on purposefully, not wanting to forget one tiny detail of his first meeting with Gaara.

“You’ll want to change them soon.” Gaara said gently. “You don’t want them to get infected.”

Lee smiled, lighting up the dimly lit room around them. “Thank you for your concern. I will be sure to change them as soon as I get home.”

“No need, we can change them when we get back to my shop.” Gaara said absentmindedly as he looked through his menu. Lee’s heart swelled within him as his smile grew. After being used and uncared for for so long, it was truly nice to have someone take care of him. 

The waiter came back with a pitcher of water and took their orders. As they ate, they continued to make light conversation, Lee asking Gaara about his shop and his degree, Gaara asking Lee about his classes at the community college, as well as his job as both a postal worker and an instructor at his father’s dojo. Their hands remained together, sometimes moving to grab their glass or pass the pepper, but always returning back to the other’s. Out of nervous habit, Lee would often tuck his hair behind his ear. Each time he did, Gaara felt his heart clench tighter. 

“Ah, what an excellent meal!” Lee said, pushing his plate to the side. “And even more enjoyable spending it with you.” He closed his eyes and smiled gently as his head drifted to the side. 

“I agree, Lee.” Gaara squeezed his date’s hand and looked down. “I’m sorry if you felt forced to take me out tonight. Even if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have regretted meeting you. You’re a great person.”

Gaara, afraid to meet Lee’s eyes, continued to stare at the table. Lee was quiet for so long that the only way Gaara knew he was still there, was because of the hand he still held onto. After a moment, Gaara looked up to meet Lee’s eyes which were wet with tears. 

“Oh no, I am so sorry, I-“

Lee grabbed onto his other hand. “No, Gaara, I’m sorry. I have tried for so long to find someone who truly cared about me and not just about what I am willing to give. Now that I have found that in a most precious person such as you, I believe I was just a bit emotional. Thank you for your kindness. I am so happy to have fallen in front of your store.”

Lee gave a watery laugh as Gaara wiped the tears from his date’s eyes. “I’m glad too.” He smiled. 

“And will the lovely couple be joining us for dessert tonight?” Dei, the now disgruntled waiter, asked as he cleared their plates. Lee began to speak, but Gaara interrupted him. 

“No, I will be taking my date to the new bakery by my shop.”

Lee grinned hugely, so ecstatic about the extended plans that he forgot to be embarrassed that Gaara called him “his date.” All he could focus on, was the fact that Gaara not only wanted to spend more time with him, but that he had planned something that would allow them to do just that. 

~~~

Gaara and Lee walked hand in hand away from the restaurant and towards the street where they had first met. A cool breeze blew as the stars came out, gently lighting their comfortably silent walk. Every once in a while they would each sneak a peek at the other, both hardly believing that they were holding the hand of a very attractive young man and that their budding feelings were reciprocated. At some point in the walk, though Gaara did not know when, he wrapped his hand further under Lee’s and leaned into his toned upper arm, enjoying the light smell of Lee’s cologne. 

They continued to walk in silence until they got to the front of Gaara’s shop. They pulled apart slightly as Lee walked towards the front door. Gaara pulled him tighter into his side as Lee looked at him, puzzled. 

“Uh, Gaara, where are we going?”

“Like I told the waiter, I’m going to treat you to dessert at the new bakery down the street.” Gaara said as he bumped gently into Lee’s side. 

“O-Oh, I thought you were just trying to leave sooner… surely, you do not need to treat me to dessert!” Lee said as they walked towards the entrance to Kiri Cakes. 

“Nonsense, Lee. Their desserts are fantastic. And it allows me to spend more time with you.” Gaara replied, holding the door to the bakery open for Lee. He smiled at the young man as he entered, heart fluttering as deep sea green eyes met his. After taking a few moments to decide, Gaara chose a light fruit tart and Lee picked the cookies and cream cupcake he had drooled over when he had first made his delivery there. Gaara paid the cashier, jostled the boxes to allow himself to slip his free hand back into Lee’s, and pulled him back out into the night towards his shop. 

Once they were back in the quiet of the back room, Gaara had Lee begin making tea to enjoy with their dessert as he put on a record he had recently picked up from the shop down the street, The Sound Village. As soft piano music began to play, Gaara pulled out his first aid kit and began undoing Lee’s bandages. He gently turned Lee’s arms over in his hands, breathe hitching slightly as he felt his toned smooth muscles. Lee looked up at Gaara through his thick lashes, noticing the tenderness in Gaara’s gaze as he traced the already healing scratches. Gaara pulled out a paper towel and disinfectant and began to clean the scratches, being careful to not remove any of the scabs that had begun healing. 

“I think you’ll be okay to leave them uncovered for now. But I would recommend applying the aloe every night until they heal.” Gaara said, getting up to throw the bandages away and grab their desserts. 

“Thank you so much, Gaara. For dessert, for cleaning my wounds, for spending this night with me.” Lee paused unwrapping his cupcake to smile at Gaara. “This has truly been a spectacular evening, all thanks to your company.”

Gaara blushed lightly and smiled back, unsure of how to respond. He could hear Temari in the back of his head saying “I told you so!” over and over again. They both began to dig into their desserts, though Lee’s hand stayed laid over Gaara’s as he ate. Halfway through his cupcake, Lee turned to ask Gaara a question. Noticing a smear of frosting on his upper lip, Gaara began to laugh lightly. 

“W-What’s so funny?” Lee asked turning a brilliant shade of crimson, smoothing his hair down trying to figure out what was wrong. Gaara shook his head, laughs turning into smiles as he turned to face Lee more fully. 

“You have frosting on your lip.” Gaara said, squeezing Lee’s hand a bit tighter. 

“Oh, what a mess I am! I must have been enjoying the cupcake too much, it is rather tasty. Do you have a napkin anywhere?” Lee asked looking around. In a moment of bravery, and slight stupidity Gaara noted to himself, he leaned over and kissed the frosting off of Lee’s lip. Shocked, Lee opened his mouth slightly, then quickly closed it and kissed Gaara back, removing his hand from the table to cup Gaara’s cheek gently. After a few moments, they broke apart slightly. 

“It is rather tasty.” Gaara said licking his lips. They both laughed gently, pressing their foreheads together, sitting and just enjoying the other’s company in the back of Gaara’s shop. After a few moments of closeness, they both returned to their previous positions and finished their dessert. 

Too soon, Lee needed to leave. Gaara walked Lee to the front of the shop where Lee gently pulled him in for another kiss. The moonlight from outside lit up the seaglass in the store’s window and illuminated their faces like a kaleidoscope. Lee walked out to the tinkle of a bell with the promise to text Gaara as soon as he got home. 

Soon after if they were asked what their favorite memories were, Lee’s would entail gentle hands on his scratched arm, the light smell of dirt mingling with Gaara’s shampoo, and black fingernails. Gaara’s would consist of cookies and cream cupcakes, aloe vera, and the smell of Lee’s cologne. The main similarity in both, would be the soon familiar and comforting weight of the hand of the person they loved in their own, as solid and sure as the love they now shared.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set two months in to Gaara and Lee’s relationship, about two and a half months after their first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to explicitly apologize because I know this chapter is terribly gooey and cheesy and I hate myself for it. I don’t know where it came from, I am normally not a romantic person. Please forgive me if you throw up a bit.  
> But thank you as usual to the amazing Freddie (dominopes on ao3 and enbybi on tumblr) for previewing this chapter for me. Me and the kids are so luck to have you in our lives.  
> Also please note that this chapter does talk a little about panic attacks and dissociating.  
> Have a great week friends!

“Hold me now! WOOOOOOAH! Warm my heart!”

Gaara looked at the ceiling of his shop and smiled to himself. Lee was a big fan of 80’s music and was not shy of that fact. Often times, he volunteered to cook Gaara dinner while he finished closing his store for the day. Which explained the noise currently coming from upstairs. He would never say no to Lee’s cooking. Especially because that meant he had more time to spend with him.

Gaara stood from his place behind the counter and stretched. The warm evening sunshine filtering in through the front windows warmed the store and made him sleepy. Checking the time, he decided to close a few minutes early. No one would be dying for a succulent this late in the evening. He walked to the front of the store through the beams of dust motes that floated around in the still air. No matter how much he swept, dirt and dust still managed to find its way into the shop. Not that he minded. He felt like it added more character to the place. 

After locking the front door and double checking that the shades were now closed, he made his way to the back room and up the stairs that led to the apartment sitting on top of his store. He crept up slowly trying to be as quiet as possible. Sometimes if he was careful, he would catch Lee dancing along to his music.

“But you know that there's no where that I'd rather be than with you here today!” Lee scream sang into the wooden spoon he was holding. “HOLD ME NOW! WOOOOOAAAH! Warm my heart!”

“Stay with me.” Gaara sang gently, as he hugged Lee from behind. “Let loving start, let loving start.” They sang together, swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the song. As Gaara pulled away, Lee turned around and cupped his face as the song continued. 

“You ask if I love you. Well, what can I say?” He bent down gently to kiss Gaara, but before their lips met he grabbed him around his middle and spun him around. “You know that I do and that this is just one of those games that we play.” Lee placed him gently back onto his feet as Gaara grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down slightly for a kiss. Lee smiled into the kiss as a small giggle escaped him. He had the tendency to do that when he was very happy. Which meant that he had the tendency to do it a lot when Gaara was around.

Gaara pulled away and grabbed the spoon from Lee. “Dinner smells great. What can I help with?” He turned to the stove and began stirring the curry that was simmering away. It was a good thing Gaara wasn’t picky. They had curry a lot.

“You have been hard at work all day, Gaara! Please, relax and I will take care of this.” Lee grabbed the spoon back from Gaara and nudged him away with his hip. Gaara rolled his eyes and nudged him back.

“Lee, you had your postal route, three college classes, and taught Taekwondo for two hours. I think you’re the one that’s been working hard.” He made the mistake of trying to steal the spoon back from Lee who then out maneuvered him and threw him over his shoulder. He huffed and slapped the back of Lee’s toned thigh.

“You know I hate it when you do this.” Gaara said, swinging uselessly as Lee carried him away from the stove.

“And you know I hate when you argue. Besides,” he said, dumping his boyfriend on the couch, “we both know how useless you are at cooking.”

Unable to argue against that point, Gaara gave up and laid back staring at the ceiling. He toed his shoes off, ignoring Lee’s looks and apparent annoyance at him for not taking them off and leaving them at the door. Gaara closed his eyes, taking in the scent of curry and the traces of Lee’s cologne as the music continued to play, turned down now that Gaara was there. They had only been dating for about two months, but he was becoming more and more comfortable with Lee’s presence in his life. That comfort both relieved and terrified him. Every time he had gotten this comfortable in the past, all that followed was a lot of hurt. But he had also never dated someone as dedicated or as passionate as Lee. Every time he felt himself doubting their relationship or his validity as a partner to such an amazing guy, Lee seemed to fix it with a hug or kiss or a hand squeeze out of nowhere. It was as if Lee could hear his self doubt riddled thoughts. 

Just as he was about to doze off, he felt a gentle kiss to his forehead. “Gaara, the food is ready!” Lee practically sang. Cooking was one of his favorite hobbies and he loved being able to share it with Gaara. Lee turned to finish setting the food on the table. As he walked away, Gaara reached out and slapped him on the ass.

“Gaara!” Lee shrieked, turning and staring down at the red head. “That is not very gentleman like!”  
He rubbed his backside and reached into the cupboard to grab plates. As he started walking to the table, Gaara got up and grabbed the plates from him, kissing him lightly on the lips.

“Sorry. You know I can’t resist.” He leaned back as a fierce blush spread across Lee’s cheeks and on the tips of his ears. The straight line his mouth was set in wobbled as he tried to stay angry. Gaara knew he could never stay angry for long. He walked the remaining distance to the small table and set down the plates next to the food Lee had prepared. 

“It looks delicious. Thank you for making dinner.” Gaara said as he sat down. Lee beamed at him from across the table. Gaara learned early on that compliments and kind words went a long way when it came to his relationship with Lee. 

“It is a new recipe I have been wanting to try! It called for a lot of spice but I tried to tone it down for your sensitive palate.” Lee said, scooping up a large forkful of rice and curry. He quickly shoved it into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. After deciding it was to his liking, he nodded slightly and continued eating. 

“How was class?” Gaara asked in between sips of water. Even though Lee altered the recipe, it still packed a punch. 

“Ugh.” Lee groaned, momentarily leaning his head on his fist. “We have a five page essay due tomorrow night. Luckily I have the outline and most of the first two pages finished, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay much longer after dinner.”

Gaara frowned slightly at this. Even though they didn’t live together yet, Lee had become a regular participant in his nightly routine. Lee’s calming and positive presence helped chase away the nightmares and insomnia that had plagued him since his youth. 

“That’s understandable. I’m sorry if coming over so often makes things hard on you.” Gaara said, pushing his vegetables around his plate. Lee set his fork down and stared at Gaara until he met his gaze. 

“Gaara, you have saved me from loneliness. You are my most precious person. I would do anything for you.” Lee said, clenched fist quivering. “Besides, I’ll have my degree soon and then we can spend as much time together as you like.”

Gaara smiled back at Lee. He often worried that his consistent need for reassurance would grow old. But Lee, ever as stubborn and supportive, gave him that reassurance every time he needed it and more. He really was perfect for him.

“Well, by then I’m sure we’ll be living together anyway.” Gaara said, rising to clear the table. He heard Lee’s fork clatter to the table at his words and turned to look at his partner. 

“L-Living together? Like in your apartment? Sharing the same bed?” Lee asked, cleaning up the rice that he had scattered in his shock, voice squeaking at the end of each sentence. 

“Well, yes, isn’t that how relationships tend to go? ...Unless of course you wouldn’t want to. I understand. Maybe we are moving too fast. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Gaara responded, panicking at the vulnerability he had shown moments before. He mentally scolded himself for being so care free with his emotions. He dumped the plates into the sink and began to fill it with hot sudsy water. He tried to focus on the burning of his hands to quiet the storm of negative emotions brewing in his mind. Lee walked and stood next to him quietly, grabbing the dishes to rinse them off as was their routine. 

“Gaara. I would love nothing more than to live with you and spend as much time as possible with you. The only thing I worry about is you and your feelings. I know that I can be a lot sometimes and I would never want to force myself onto you in anyway.”

Lee cupped Gaara’s face with a wet hand. Gaara sighed and leaned into it as the water drained from the sink. 

“I know, Lee. I’m sorry, I overreacted. I just know that I have a lot of problems and that you have been hurt in the past. I… worry about expressing my feelings too openly. I’m sorry.” Lee pulled Gaara into his chest, wet hands clasping around the others back. Gaara kissed the inside of Lee’s neck as he rested his head on top of the slightly shorter males. 

“I would be happy to sleep at your side. But only when you are ready for me to.” Lee said, pulling back to smile at Gaara. He kissed the top of his head and turned back to grab a dish towel. After drying and putting away the dishes, he turned to Gaara, grinning mischievously. Before Gaara had a chance to question him, he wound the towel up and flicked it at him with a resounding snap. 

“LEE!” Gaara yelled, as he ran to hide in his room. Lee followed, the towel snapping loudly every few seconds. 

After getting the towel back from Lee and invoking swift revenge, they got ready for Lee to leave. After a cup or two of tea and a good night kiss, Gaara once again found himself alone. He watched Lee bounce away in the moonlit street, wanting nothing more than to chase after him and drag him back. But Gaara knew he had important things to do and didn’t want to distract him from that. After a few more minutes of staring out the window, Gaara began the nightly routine that Lee and he had prepared, although tonight he would be doing it by himself. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he sat on the cool wooden floor to meditate. Normally, this part was easier. Lee would lay his head in Gaara’s lap and he would focus on the movements of threading his fingers through his silky hair. Without the weight of Lee’s head to focus on, Gaara tried to concentrate on his breathing. Even with his slow and steady breathes he felt his chest begin to constrict. The weight of the silent house and his earlier self doubt fell heavy on him and his breathing quickened, nearing hyperventilation. Recognizing the early signs of one of his panic attacks, Gaara got up from the floor to begin the next part of his nightly routine. 

He walked over to his bookshelf trying to lighten his breaths as he did so. He ran his finger across the books he had, trying to pick one to start reading. Deciding he didn’t have the patience to read, he gave up and headed towards his room. After rearranging his pillows, he pulled on a dark green hoodie he had borrowed (stolen) from Lee. As he breathed in the scent of Lee’s shampoo, his heart beat calmed. He turned off the lights in his room, lay back into his pillows, and fell asleep. 

Lee’s absence and Gaara’s earlier self doubt ran rampant through his dreams. He dreamt of Lee leaving him for one of his best friends. Of his siblings mocking him for thinking he could ever be loved. He vividly saw himself walking into his apartment after Lee had moved in and finding him in bed with someone else. Over and over the vicious cycle of horrible images played through his mind, visualizations of the jealousy and insecurity he was too embarrassed to admit. His heartbeat raced and he clutched his head, trying to force the terrible thoughts and memories out. They pushed down on him forcing the air out of his lungs with the pressure of the reality of his seeming inadequacy. He went deeper and deeper until-

“Gaara! GAARA!”

Gaara woke with a start, tangled in sheets and blankets and hair damp with sweat. He looked around wildly trying to find the source of his name. 

“Gaara? What’s wrong?” He heard Lee say. After a few more seconds, Gaara realized that he was clutching his phone tightly in his hand. Lee had called him while he was asleep. Unless he had called Lee? Gaara wasn’t entirely sure that he was awake yet, he felt like an outsider to his body. 

“Lee?” Gaara asked, voice hoarse. He looked around his room not fully recognizing his surroundings. 

“Gaara, are you hurt? You were sobbing when I answered, it took you a few minutes to respond.”

“I-I’m sorry. I must have been… dreaming.” Gaara wiped his clammy forehead trying to calm himself. “I’m not injured. I apologize for waking you. You can go back to sleep now.” Gaara laid back down onto the pillows, trying to regulate his heart beat. 

Lee was quiet for a few moments then asked, “Gaara, what day is it tomorrow?”In the background he heard the sound of a car door closing. Gaara tried to concentrate all of his thoughts onto the week. What had he done that day? He was quiet for a few seconds as Lee’s engine started. 

“Why are you asking?” Gaara responded. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what day tomorrow was but he didn’t want Lee to worry. Lee was quiet for a few moments, giving Gaara extra time to try and center himself. 

“Love, I think you’re dissociating again. I’m on my way. In the meantime, name five things you can see around you.” Lee continued to help Gaara center himself as he drove to the apartment. He did his best to name things he could smell, see, and hear, struggling to even remember what dissociation was or when he had ever done it before. After ten minutes, he heard Lee’s car turn off. 

“I’m here, Gaara.” Lee said closing and locking his car door. 

“Where?” Gaara asked, still struggling to bring himself back into his body. He heard a gentle knock on the back stairs to his apartment and realized what Lee had meant. Still trying to chase away images of Lee breaking his heart, he walked to the back door to let him in. Embarrassed, he stared at the ground as he came in. 

“Gaara…” he heard Lee say as the door shut behind him. “I’m so sorry for leaving you alone” He pulled him into a tight hug. Gaara’s stress melted, leaving just echoes of his previous nightmares. 

“I’m sorry I called, Lee. I guess I was just feeling very insecure and scared and that forced itself into my dream.” Gaara whispered into Lee’s shoulder, the exhaustion forcing him to release his grip on his usually tightly controlled emotions. “You don’t have to be sorry for leaving. You have a lot of responsibilities and you shouldn’t place me before those.”

Lee pulled back and looked at Gaara, eyebrows pulled down. “I love you, Gaara. You are the most important thing. I may not be able to be with you all the time, but I promise I will do my best to make you the priority for as long as you’ll let me. Even if that means you grow bored of me within the next month.”

Gaara pulled Lee into a light kiss. “I love you too.” He murmured. “I will never grow bored of you, what with all of your challenges and romantic gestures. I love you.” He repeated, burying himself back into Lee’s arms. 

“And I love you!” Lee said, jerking Gaara up into his arms as he raced him to his room. Gaara’s head bounced on the bed as Lee flopped him down and pulled his sweatshirt off. 

“Uh, Lee what are you doing?” Gaara asked, cheeks turning bright red. 

“No offense, Gaara, but you’re kind of sweaty.” Lee finished pulling his sweatshirt off and threw a clean shirt at him from his closet. “Besides, I’m pretty sure this is mine anyway.”

Gaara put the new shirt on feeling more centered with each second. He turned to find Lee pulling his jeans off and sliding under Gaara’s comforter. 

“Is it okay if I stay the night? I don’t really want to leave you alone after what happened. But, oh, I could sleep on the couch of course!” Lee said, hopping back out of bed and heading to the door. This time it was his head that bounced as Gaara pushed him back down. 

“No. Please stay.” He said, holding Lee’s wrists down as he kissed him on the cheek. Lee said nothing but slipped back under the covers soon followed by Gaara. He snuggled closer to his boyfriend as strong fingers ran through his red hair. He closed his eyes gently and listened to his heart beat. After a few moments, Lee filled the silence, quietly singing the song they were listening to earlier. 

“I have a picture. Pinned to my wall. An image of you and of me and we’re laughing and loving it all…”

Gaara smiled gently and pulled Lee closer to him as he drifted to sleep. 

The next morning, Lee woke up from a deep sleep to the smell of eggs. It took him a minute to remember where he was, but once he did he let out a huge yawn which turned into an even bigger smile. He walked out of Gaara’s room into his kitchen to find Gaara hard at work scrambling eggs (which was pretty much the only food he knew how to cook.)

“Mm. I smell like you now.” Gaara heard in his ear as Lee wrapped his arms around his waist. “Are you feeling better?”

Gaara twisted around to return the embrace. “A bit, yes. Luckily, I was able to rest last night thanks to you. I appreciate you coming over. I’m sorry you had to have a late start to your day off.”

“I was planning on spending it with you anyway.” Lee said, smiling at Gaara. He returned the grin with his usual small smile and turned back to finish cooking the eggs. They ate as the sun finished rising, discussing plans for the day. They didn’t further discuss what had happened the night before. Lee knew that if Gaara needed to talk, he would. 

“I was wondering…” Lee asked as he finished the last of his juice. “Would you like to join me and my parents for dinner tonight? I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for you to meet them!”

Gaara’s stomach squirmed with anxiety at that thought. But he knew that Lee’s family was very important to him. “I would love to. I can be there as soon as my shop closes.”

“Wonderful! We’ll go over together.” Lee said, smiling as he rose from the table. “And soon, I’ll be able to meet your family!”

Gaara paused and stared down at his plate. Lee knew a little about Gaara’s home life, but that wasn’t something he necessarily wanted to share with Lee so fully. He brushed away the thought of Lee meeting his family for the time being. One step at a time, just as Lee mentioned. He knew he wouldn’t push him to go any farther than he wanted to. 

The rest of the day Lee helped Gaara in his shop. He wore one of Gaara’s baggy college shirts, although it still managed to be a bit tight on him. Not that Gaara was complaining. After fixing a few shelves, arranging succulent pieces for a local wedding, and helping the influx of customers looking to escape the heat, the boys were ready to lock up and head to Lee’s house. 

After locking the shop, they headed to Lee’s car, Gaara’s stomach growing tighter and tighter with each step. Once they were in motion, Lee grabbed Gaara’s hand and gave him an encouraging smile. He reciprocated the smile as best as he could trying to quiet his rapid heart beat. After all, they were Lee’s parents. What could go wrong?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara finally meets Lee's parents.

In what Gaara considered was too short of time, they arrived at Lee’s house. They parked in the small lot in the back of the dojo and Lee turned the engine off. 

“Don’t worry, Gaara,” he said, turning and smiling. “My Dads are going to love you! I promise.” He kissed the back of Gaara’s hand before turning to exit the car. Gaara swallowed his panic and followed suit. 

After unlocking the back door and climbing the stairs to the apartment at the top of the dojo, they were greeted by the loud sound of cha cha music. Now Gaara knew where Lee got his love of loud music from. They opened the door to find the sight of two men dancing wildly around the kitchen. Well, one of them was dancing wildly. The other seemed to be getting dragged along. 

“LEE!” boomed the more coordinated man. Gaara’s eyes widened, surprised that he could hear him over the music. His eyes continued to widen as he noticed a shocking resemblance between the man, whose name was Gai from what Gaara could remember, and Lee himself. He knew that he was adopted, but there was no way there wasn’t some relation there. 

Gai pulled the other man back in, completed the cha cha step, spun him three times, and dramatically dipped him. His arms flopped over his head as tousled gray hair brushed the floor. “And you must be Gaara.” he said with an amused upside down expression. Gaara said nothing as he stared at the two men, Lee sweating nervously next to him. Gai pulled up Lee’s other dad and kissed him loudly on the cheek. 

“It is so good to meet you, Gaara!” Gai boomed, pumping Gaara’s limp arm up and down enthusiastically. “We have heard many many things about you from our precious son, Lee. This is my husband, Kakashi.” 

“Nice to meet you, Gaara.” he said, words slightly muffled under the medical mask he wore. Lee had explained it to him previously that Kakashi had an intense fear of germs and the mask helped him control it a bit. “We’ve been looking forward to meeting, what did you call him, Lee? The most succulent cactus?” He winked at Gaara, slightly scarred eye pulling down in a show of doing his best to embarrass Lee. 

“DAD!” Lee screeched, a deep blush growing at the base of his neck and the tips of his ears. Had they not been in front of Lee’s parents, Gaara would have kissed his ears until the blush covered his face too. 

“Kakashi! Leave these poor boys alone. Let’s go finish dinner and leave these two to themselves.” Gai extended his muscular arm giving the boys a thumbs up and accompanied it with a dazzling smile. 

“Thank you, Papa, I will show Gaara my room!” Lee said, pulling Gai into a crushing hug. After glaring at Kakashi for a few seconds, then quickly giving up, he gave him a hug too. The sight was rather heartwarming. Gaara, unfamiliar with parental love, stood at the edge feeling slightly uncomfortable. Kakashi and Gai moved further into the kitchen to finish dinner while Lee slipped his hand into Gaara’s and pulled him down the hallway. 

“So that’s the bathroom, my Dad’s room is up there a bit, and here,” Lee said, pulling Gaara into a room on the left, “is my room.”

Gaara looked around at Lee’s room. It was tidier than he expected. His taekwondo books were neatly stacked on a shelf above his desk which currently held his laptop and school bag. His closet was open, showcasing a few Konoha Postal Service uniforms, the green button down he had worn on their first date, as well as a few hoodies Gaara had yet to steal. He ran his thumb over one with the logo for Konoha’s community college on it. Lee came up behind him to investigate what he was looking at. 

“Oh! My old KCC hoodie. It’s too small for me now so I had to get a different one.” Lee said, pulling the hoodie from it’s hanger. He held it up against Gaara’s body, measuring the size. “Looks like it would fit you perfectly!”

Gaara quickly looked up into Lee’s smiling face. “Are you sure? I think I may have already stolen enough of your clothing.”

Lee’s laugh rang through the small room. “Of course I am sure! Besides,” he murmured, wrapping the hoodie around Gaara’s back to pull him closer to his body, “you look very attractive in my clothes.” 

Lee crushed his lips into Gaara’s before softening the kiss slightly. It took Gaara a while to get used to Lee’s enthusiasm in regards to everything, but especially physical affection. Lee had to learn to slow done and be softer after his tooth cut Gaara’s upper lip during a particularly intense makeout session. Gaara pulled back slightly to get a better angle to Lee’s lips. He threaded his fingers through Lee’s soft hair, possibly one of Gaara’s favorite physical features on his boyfriend. Just as his tongue swiped the bottom of Lee’s lip and Lee’s hand was making its way down Gaara’s back, there was a light knock on the door. They jumped apart, hearts racing, though for different reasons. Lee was flustered by the makeout session. Gaara was worried he would get killed if Lee’s parents caught him making out with their son in their own house. 

“Lee, dinner is ready.” Kakashi called through the door. Luckily he didn’t open it, probably suspecting what was happening. 

“O-Of course! We’ll be right there.” Lee turned to Gaara smiling sheepishly. He pulled him back in for another quick kiss then headed down the hall. Gaara took a few seconds to compose himself and followed after him. 

They sat next to each other at the small dining table opposite Kakashi and Gai. Kakashi had removed his medical mask for dinner and Gai was taking that opportunity to give him small little pecks over his chin and lips. Kakashi acted bored by the show of affection, but his eyes shone with love and appreciation that even Gaara noticed. 

“Alright, boys! Let’s dig in!” Gai said, breaking his chopsticks. The meal they had prepared was homemade Tonkotsu ramen, something Gaara knew took days of preparation. He was even more surprised to find that it was delicious! Lee certainly took after his Dads, though they seemed to venture further than curry and rice. 

Gaara cleared his throat after a few spoonfuls and glanced between Kakashi and Gai. “Thank you for the meal. It is really good, I can see why Lee is such a fantastic cook and even better boyfriend. You raised him well.” 

Loud sniffles could be heard from the shivering bowl cuts as Kakashi smiled gently at Gaara. “Look what you’ve done, kid. You’ve set off the water works.” Kakashi chuckled and rubbed Gai’s back. 

“Thank you for your kind words, Gaara.” Gai sniffled. “We are so glad to know that Lee has found his most precious person in such a youthful and well mannered boy.”

This last statement was seemingly too much for Lee who threw himself over Gaara as tears flowed. Gaara awkwardly patted Lee’s back, unused to such public displays of affection. He really just wanted to get back to his ramen. After a few more tears, Lee allowed him to do just that, digging back into his food almost obnoxiously.

After they had all finished eating, Gai and Lee sat back and rubbed their satisfied bellies while Kakashi replaced his medical mask. Gaara sat in his chair, briefly glancing at each person sitting at the table. He had never met one of his significant other’s parents before and wasn’t sure how it usually went.

“So, Lee, shall we-” he started, standing from the table. He was interrupted by the sound of a chair screeching as Gai jumped from his place at the table, grabbing Kakashi around his head as he did so. 

“Kashi! We should teach the boys how to cha cha!” he yelled, shaking his husband as he did so.

“Mah, Gai, I don’t know if they would really like that…” he replied, voice muffled from where it was pressed into Gai’s side.

“Nonsense! What do you say boys? Want to get your groove on with an ‘old man?’” he boomed, laughing at his last question as if the idea that he was old was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

Gaara, unsure of what to say, turned to look at Lee for guidance who he found was already staring at him. His lips were pressed in a firm line, eyebrows pulled down into a fierce determination. Gaara knew he wouldn’t tell him what to do either way, but he wanted to make a good impression on both Lee and his parents.

“Cha cha sounds… fun.” Gaara replied, eyes stuck on Lee’s. Relief flooded through his face at Gaara’s response.

“Wonderful! Please join us in the kitchen, there will be more room for us there!” Gai grabbed Kakashi by the scruff of his neck and pulled him in the direction of the kitchen. Lee grabbed Gaara’s hand and squeezed it gently, whispering a gentle thank you as he did so.

Once in the kitchen, Gai brought Kakashi into his arms, his positioned frame strong and steady.

“Now, Lee, seeing as you are the taller partner, you will place your hand at Gaara’s waist with your right hand. Gaara, place your left hand on Lee’s shoulder.”

Lee gently placed his hand on Gaara’s waist, much higher than he normally might, wanting to make sure he was proper in front of his parents. Slightly confused, Gaara crossed his left arm across his body, placing it on Lee’s left shoulder. Gai briefly let go of Kakashi to move Gaara’s hand to place it on the correct shoulder.

“Very good! Now, with your free hands, grasp the other’s hand making sure that Lee’s fingers go under Gaara’s.” Gai said, resuming his position with Kakashi. Gai’s frame was solid, his positioning perfect. Kakashi, however, let his arms relax loosely, barely seeming like he was even awake. Lee grabbed Gaara’s hand gently, his position now matching Gai’s.

“Wonderful!” Gai practically yelled. Gaara was glad to know that they didn’t have any neighbors, sure that they would get reported a lot for noise complaints.

Gai let go of Kakashi again, this time to turn his cha cha playlist back on. As music began to play, he grabbed Kakashi and started explaining the basic cha cha steps. 

“On the first count, Gaara, you will step back with your right foot. Lee, you will step forward with your right foot. Your standing leg will briefly pull up, then on the second count you will step back onto it to then begin the cha cha step. Let’s try the first part! And a five, six, seven, eight, ONE!”

On the count of one, Gaara stepped forward with his right foot, crashing into Lee as he also moved forward. He noted Kakashi’s step back, and quickly corrected himself. They tried a few more times until Gaara and Lee had gotten the hang of it, then moved onto the next step.

“Now, you will do the ‘cha cha cha.’” he explained, quickly side stepping as he did so. “The foot you just moved will then step to the side, bringing the other leg to meet it in the middle. Your leading leg will move to the side again, but instead of meeting it in the middle, your previous standing leg will move the opposite of what it did before. So, Gaara, you will be stepping forward with your left leg-”

“And I will be stepping back with my right!” Lee interrupted, excited that he had figured out the next step. 

‘Well done, Lee!” He said, repositioning himself. “Now, let’s try that all together!”

Gaara moved with Lee to the sound of Gai’s counting and his “cha cha chas.” Lee was an excellent lead, his arm around Gaara’s waist solid, helping to direct him when he was unsure of the next step. Gai then taught them how to complete the motion, basically reversing their initial steps to place them right back where they started. They went through the entire step a few more times, Kakashi and Gai adding in extra steps where they felt to do so. After one song had ended, Gai plucked Gaara from Lee.

“Switch partners!” He said, pulling Gaara into the same embrace Lee had been holding him in. Lee grabbed Kakashi who began attempting to show him some of the more advanced moves he and Gai had been doing. Gaara tore his eyes away from his boyfriend to stare up at Gai. He grinned down at him, his supporting arm squeezing Gaara’s tighter.

“Gaara, you must hold me tighter than that, I can barely feel you! In order for a dance to work correctly, both partners need to be connected and in tune with the other.” He paused slightly, staring Gaara down. Gaara gulped nervously, realizing now that he was under the fire and scrutiny of Lee’s passionate Dad. Even though Gai had seemed to accept him wholeheartedly, it was only natural for him to want to protect Lee as best as he could. He solidified his grip on Gai, missing Lee’s firm but gentle touch. Gai’s face softened, smiling down at Gaara. 

Kakashi and Lee continued to move slowly through the kitchen, taking their time with each step. Gaara, however, was being flung about in an even more manic way than Kakashi had earlier. Gai spun him in and out of the cha cha step, flinging his arm out dramatically to his side as he did so. 

“Gaara, please try not to get motion sickness. I don’t feel like cleaning up vomit today.” Kakashi called, as Lee dipped him gently. Gai began spinning Gaara faster until, suddenly, his top half was completely upside down as he was tipped toward the floor. His fingers scrambled to grab Gai’s shirt, worried about falling completely over. After a dramatic pause, Gai pulled him back up and spun him out of his embrace and directly into Lee’s. Once there, Lee cupped the sides of his cheeks, trying to help steady him. Being touched by Lee used to make Gaara dizzy, but now it helped ground him more than anything else. 

After ensuring Gaara would not vomit all over the kitchen tile, Lee helped Kakashi make tea as Gai led him into the living room to sit down. 

“Gaara. We are very happy that you and Lee have found each other,” he said, sitting on a love seat opposite of Gaara who sat in a smaller, matching cushioned chair. “However, it must be made known how much we care for Lee. He has gotten his heart broken in the past many times. I don’t want to see that happen again if it can be avoided.”

Gaara placed his hands under his legs worried that his anxiety would get the best of him. “I understand, and I too have been hurt in the past and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I promise I will do my best to love and support Lee for as long as he will let me.”

Gai smiled at Gaara gently as Kakashi and Lee walked in bringing the tea. “I know you will, Gaara.”

Lee handed Gaara his cup, expression questioning as he sat on his lap. Even though Lee was slightly bigger, Gaara felt comforted by his weight and allowed him to sit or lay on him as often as he liked. Kakashi sat next to Gai on the loveseat, slinging an arm over his shoulder to pull him in slightly. 

“So, how did you learn to dance like that?” Gaara asked after a few minutes of silence as they all enjoyed their warm beverages.

“Gai and I were in a social dance class at the community college together. He wanted to take a martial arts class, but there were no spots available. The class somehow ended up with more boys than girls, and Gai and I were partnered together a lot.” Kakashi explained, gently running his hands through Gai’s hair.

“And then Kakashi became infatuated with me and asked me out on a date!” Gai finished, turning to smile at his husband as he did so. Kakashi rolled his eyes as they started to bicker slightly.

Lee turned down slightly to whisper in Gaara’s ear as the argument continued in the background. “They never seem to agree on how their relationship actually started. We should probably leave now, they’ll go on like this for hours if we let them.”

He stood, pulling Gaara with him. “It is getting rather late, I should return Gaara to his apartment.”

Gaara bowed his head slightly. “Thank you for the meal. I am glad to know that Lee has wonderful parents and I am glad to have met you.”

Gai beamed at Gaara, now sure that he would be good to Lee. He skipped the handshake and went straight for a hug, crushing him in a familiar, but much more overwhelming way. Gaara would never feel like Lee’s hugs were too much again. Kakashi opted to raise his hand in Gaara and Lee’s direction, turning to walk towards the bedroom as Gai saw them to the door. Lee hugged him before closing the door, pulling Gaara out into the cool night.

They sat in silence for some time in the car, enjoying the quiet after the loud night they had.

“I really like your parents.” Gaara said quietly, placing his hand over Lee’s which was holding his thigh. 

Lee turned and smiled at him before turning to watch the road once again.

“I like them a lot too. They are very good to me. I’m not sure what I would have done without them.” Lee replied, the streetlights partially illuminating his face in a gentle orange glow.

“Would you… Maybe want to meet my family? Only my siblings, my parents aren’t really in the picture as you know… But I’m going to make a trip back to Suna soon, if you’d like to join me.” Gaara traced patterns into Lee’s hand with his finger, trying to not think of how seriously he saw his and Lee’s relationship. He had had a few partners in the past, none of which had the privilege of meeting his family.

Lee pulled into the space behind Gaara’s shop and turned the car off. He turned to Gaara, now fully grasping his hand. “I would love nothing more than to meet your family.” He said gently. Gaara, still staring at their hands, pulled Lee gently down, finally looking up to meet him in a kiss. He rested his forehead on Lee’s as his fingers carded through his soft hair. 

“Can you come lay with me for a bit before you go home?” Gaara asked, wanting nothing more than to unwind from the anxiety of the previous night in the arms of the man he loved.

“Can I just stay the night again?” Lee whispered, placing a gentle kiss to his forehead.

“Please do.”

They walked hand in hand back up to Gaara’s apartment. Lee once again adorned one of Gaara’s shirts and Gaara crawled into bed with his newly claimed KCC sweatshirt. Lee pulled him close to his body, gentle arms wrapping around his back. He sighed into the embrace and allowed himself to fully relax. He knew in the morning he would be hit with the anxiety of Lee meeting his family, but for now he could lay next to his partner knowing that as long as he was there, everything would turn out okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to the amazing ManaBanana for the help with this chapter! They gave me the idea of Gai switching partners with Lee as well as helped me review some of the cha cha steps to make sure it made sense. If you like GaaLee and want to be happy in life and have your crops watered and depression cured, PLEASE go check them out! https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManaBanana  
> Have a wonderful day, lovelies and thank you as always for reading! Also, if you've never tried cha cha before I HIGHLY recommend it. It's one of my favorite dances!  
> Speaking of dance, have you checked out Vitality, my current favorite fic? It's incredible AND it's GaaLee and is just absolutely fabulous and full of dancing and theatre. Please read it if you want to have a fulfilling life.  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/17667878/chapters/41669897
> 
> (Also as a random side note, I bought a weighted cow stuffed animal today to help with my anxiety and he sat on my head as I wrote most of this fic. Is this necessary information to the story? Not at all. But I wanted to add it anyway)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee meets Gaara's siblings!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I doubt anyone was anticipating an update for this fic, but if so, I'm sorry it took me so long to update! This is the final chapter of this fic so if you read all the way through thank you! I hope you enjoyed it :)
> 
> Also, the song that Gaara is singing in the beginning is "In Luv With U" by Finn. It's one of the songs on my GaaLee playlist and I like it so much :)

“I’m in love with you… more than summer and afternoons,” Gaara sang quietly, bobbing his head to the music. Lee sat next to him, gently tapping the beat of the song on the steering wheel. Their hands rested together on Gaara’s lap. Gaara looked over at Lee, staring at his boyfriend as he drove down the long stretch of highway towards Gaara’s hometown. 

“What?” Lee asked, looking at Gaara briefly and smiling. 

“You’re just handsome,” Gaara said, placing a kiss on Lee’s hand, “and I’m in love with you.”

A blush found its way underneath Lee’s sunglasses as he sputtered. 

“But, Gaara, you are the handsome one!”

Gaara laughed lightly and turned his direction back to the road. They drove in a comfortable silence as Gaara’s music continued to play, soft and steady. It was much calmer compared to the up tempo eighties music Lee normally played. The sun set, causing Lee to remove his sunglasses and turn on the cars headlights. 

“This is starting to look more familiar,” Gaara said, adjusting his position so he sat on one of his legs, “I think we have half an hour left.”

“Oh, thank goodness, my rear end is getting sore!”

Gaara choked on the water he was drinking, spraying it onto Lee’s dashboard. He coughed violently as he laughed, Lee clapping him firmly on the back. 

“Ouch, Lee, how are you so strong?” Gaara asked, gasping for air. 

“I carry a lot of packages, remember?” Lee asked, gently rubbing the sore spots he had just hit. Gaara leaned forward in his seat, resting his chin in his hand. His eyes began to droop as Lee continued to rub his back, the lines on the road zipping past him and lulling him to sleep. Not soon after, he had dozed off. 

Lee pulled up to the hotel, shutting off the car and exiting as quietly as he could. After checking them in and putting their stuff in the room, he slipped back out to the car, unbuckling Gaara and gently pulling him into his arms. He stumbled slightly, but quickly corrected his stance and shut the door. He got a few weird looks from the hotel employees, but luckily most of the guests had already gone to their rooms so they didn’t have too many problems getting through the lobby. Once at their room, Lee fumbled for the key and slipped inside. He laid Gaara gently down on their bed, taking his shoes off and pulling the covers up over him. He stood at the edge of their bed, staring silently down at his boyfriend. A tear rolled down his eye, overwhelmed at how much he loved Gaara, but he quickly shook it off, opting to get ready for bed so he could cuddle him instead.

After brushing his teeth and getting into his pajamas, he slipped into bed carefully, pulling the covers back over both of them. As soon as his weight sunk his spot into the bed, Gaara rolled over, pulling Lee into him before he could even settle in. Lee smiled gently, letting Gaara pull his back into his chest. A light arm wrapped underneath his own, holding Lee firmly to him. Gaara sighed into Lee’s ear, and they both drifted to sleep.

They woke the next morning as the bright morning sun filtered in through the hotel drapes. Gaara sleepily cracked open his eyes, the loud sound of Lee’s snoring filling the air. Gaara smirked, then pulled his legs up to stick his feet on Lee’s back.

“Agh!” Lee screamed, rolling out of bed and hitting the floor with a thud.

Gaara scrambled to the edge where Lee had fallen off and grabbed him, hauling him back onto the bed. At least attempting to.

“Gaara, your feet are always so cold in the mornings,” Lee mumbled, snuggling back under the comforter, “You really should consider wearing socks to bed.

“I don’t need socks when I have my own personal electric blanket, Lee.”

Lee sighed and threw the blanket back over Gaara’s body. He pulled him close to his chest, Gaara snuggling into him.

“Wait, how did we get in here last night? All I remember is falling asleep in the car and waking up in bed,” Gaara asked, pulling back slightly to look at Lee.

“Well, I carried you in, of course,” Lee said, placing a kiss on Gaara’s forehead. His hair tickled his nose, but he didn’t mind. He smiled against his head, kissing him again before pulling him back into his chest.

“Thank you.” Gaara kissed his neck, smiling as Lee laughed. After a few more minutes of enjoying their time together in bed, they got up and got ready for the day, preparing to meet Gaara’s siblings. Lee bounced around the room, nervous energy coursing through his veins. In an effort to calm him down, Gaara threw open their blinds, giving them a beautiful view of Suna, Gaara’s hometown.

“Look, Lee. This is Suna. Where I grew up.”

Lee gasped lightly, putting his hand on the small of Gaara’s back and standing close. He looked up at him, still not used to the small and sweet gestures he did to show that he loved Gaara. He turned back to the window stepping closer, Lee following closely behind. They looked out over the town, heat waves rolling off the pavement, even at an early hour. It was fairly flat, no mountains nearby like there were in Konoha. But it was still beautiful, a welcome contrast to the green and busy streets of Lee’s hometown.

“Please, tell me about it,” Lee whispered, staring out of the window, his eyes shining.

“Well, over there is my high school. To the left of that is the playground me and my siblings would sneak off to when I was younger. At the very edge of town is the foster home me and my siblings were constantly in and out of. And then my therapist’s office is just down the street from here.”

Lee nodded solemnly, drinking in the town that Gaara grew up in. He knew that he carried a lot of good memories in it, his graduation from college, learning how to cope with his anxieties, and forming a close relationship with his siblings. But he also knew that it harbored a lot of darkness for Gaara, constantly being placed in and out of foster homes, his dad inconsistently wanting guardianship over them. When he was old enough, he emancipated himself, taking his guardianship into his own hands and leaving for college earlier than his classmates. His dad didn’t care, not to anyone’s surprise, and his siblings supported him wholeheartedly, helping him pay for college and starting his business. Now they had all distanced themselves from their ad, avoiding him on the rare occasion that he did call.

“Gaara?” Lee asked, looking down at him, his eyebrows drawn together. Gaara stared up at him, waiting for Lee to continue. “Do you think your siblings will… Like me?”

“Of course they will, Lee, why wouldn’t they? They may be a little...overbearing at first. They are very protective of me to say the least. But after awhile they will warm up to you. I promise.”

He wrapped his arms around Lee’s neck, pulling him down for a hug. Lee picked him up, gently squeezing him before placing him back down. His stomach growled loudly as he did so, signaling that it was time for breakfast.

“Let me call my siblings. We’ll meet them for breakfast.” Gaara pulled out his phone and dialed a number while Lee sat on the bed, anxiousness and hunger tumbling around in his stomach. After a brief phone call and a plan to meet at a diner down the road, Lee and Gaara headed out of their hotel room. Lee began to sweat, but not because of the heat. 

Once at the diner, Lee jumped out of the car, whizzing around to the passenger side to open Gaara’s door. Once he was out, a blur slammed into him, picking him up off the ground and squeezing his rib cage.

“We’re so happy to see you, Squirt!” a guy in a black hoodie yelled. Lee assumed this was Kankuro, based on Gaara’s descriptions. A blonde woman with a stern face followed quickly after, though her stony demeanor softened as she watched her two younger brothers. Temari, Gaara’s older sister walked up to Lee, looking him up and down. Lee flattened his black shirt, hoping it wasn’t too wrinkled and that his green jeans didn’t draw too much attention.

“I’m assuming you’re Rock Lee?” she asked, raising an eyebrow up at him.

“Y-Yes! You must be Temari, Gaara has told me so much about you!” Lee said, thrusting his hand out. Temari took it in her own, shaking it fiercely, her fingers tight around Lee’s hand. 

“He’s told us a lot about you, too. Never shuts up about you in fact,” Kankuro said, walking up to Lee. Gaara was tucked into his elbow, a noogie being rubbed into his skull.

“Er, right,” Lee said, gently taking Gaara from Kankuro’s grasp.

“Don’t worry, man, all good things!”

Lee nodded slightly, sticking his hand out towards Kankuro. “And the same goes for you, Kankuro! Nice to meet you, I’m Rock Lee.”

Kankuro slapped his hand, then pulled it back to pop it into a fist bump. Luckily, Tenten did this to Lee often, so he knew exactly what was happening.

“Alright, I like this guy!” Kankuro said, laughing as he clapped Lee on the back.

“Okay, buffoons, can we please go inside before my stomach starts to eat itself?” Temari grumbled, walking to the entrance of the diner. Gaara slipped his hand into Lee’s, smiling gently at him as they followed his siblings, the chatter of Kankuro explaining to Temari why a stomach couldn’t digest itself buzzing around them as they walked. 

Once inside, they were seated at a booth and given menus. Temari flicked hers out, idly flipping through the pages as she stared over the top of it at Lee.

“So,” she said, snapping her menu down on top of the table, “Gaara tells us that you work for the post office. What kind of money do you make doing that?”

Lee turned red at the question, not expecting the interrogation to start so soon.

“O-Oh! Well, it pays an honest wage, and I often work overtime because of how quickly I can deliver. I also work in my dad’s dojo a few nights every week which helps pay for my college. I’m hoping someday I can take over the dojo fully, once my parents decide to retire.”

Temari hummed, pulling the menu back up slowly. They were all quiet for a few moments, deciding what to eat and placing an order for their drinks when the waiter walked by.

“Kankuro, how are your classes going?” Gaara asked, sipping his orange juice, “Kankuro is taking classes at the university. He’s majoring in woodworking.”

“Oh, very cool!” Lee said, giving Kankuro a thumbs up.

“Uh, yeah, they’re going well,” he replied, staring at Lee’s extended thumb, “I cut a chunk out of my finger the other day, wanna see a picture?”

“You dumbass, that wasn’t from woodworking, that was from trying to cut vegetables,” Temari snorted. “And he wasn’t even drunk yet!” she whispered to Lee, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Shaddup, Tem.”

They bickered back and forth as Lee and Gaara continued to look at the menu. As soon as they had decided and orders were placed, they sat back waiting for their food, hands interlocked in the space between them.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Gaara said after a few moments. Lee stood to let him pass, slipping back into the booth and immediately busying his hands under the table as he realized he was now alone with Gaara’s siblings. Is this how Gaara felt meeting his dads?

“So, what are your intentions with our little brother?” Kankuro asked, leaning across the table at Lee. Temari rolled her eyes, pulling him back by the scruff of the neck.

“Ignore this idiot. We’re not going to interrogate you or anything. We know how much you mean to Gaara which means you mean a lot to us by default.” Lee’s cheeks reddened at the mention of both Gaara and his siblings caring a lot for him.

“We just worry about the kid. He’s struggled a lot. Being this vulnerable is almost impossible for him. If something were to go wrong, it would probably be catastrophic,” Kankuro added, ripping his straw wrapper into pieces.

“We’re not saying you have to stay with him if things don’t work out. No one deserves that. All we’re saying, is please be careful with him,” Temari finished, staring intently into Lee’s eyes.

Lee nodded fiercely, his mouth set in a determined line. “While I highly doubt I would ever want to give up someone as precious as Gaara, I promise to be very careful with his heart. I will do my best to love and cherish him for as long as he will let me. I will be a worthy addition to your family.

“Shit, kid, we’re not talking about marriage yet, are we? Oh, fuck, sorry, I forgot, Gaara told us you don’t like swear words. I mean, shit- uh sorry, damn-”

“Why are you cussing my boyfriend out, Kankuro?” Gaara asked, placing a hand on Lee’s shoulder to get him to stand.

“Oh, he didn’t mean anything by it,” Lee said, laughing lightly as he stood, “he was actually trying to not swear.”

Gaara looked over at Kankuro with a confused expression. Kankuro just stuck his tongue out at him. Temari looked at Lee, concerned but hopeful. He smiled back at her gently, nodding slightly. She relaxed and smiled back at him. Soon after, their food arrived. The siblings continued to catch up, Lee commenting every once in a while or laughing at their jokes. When the bill arrived, Lee grabbed his wallet.

“Please, let me take care of this!” he said, reaching for the paper.

“No, Lee, let me,” Temari said, quickly grabbing it before he had the chance.

“Temari, you are very kind, but I would love to treat all of you!”

“Give it a rest, kid, when Temari is set on something she always gets her way. Besides, we need to pay child care for that little tike over there somehow,” Kankuro said, smirking at Gaara. Gaara aimed a kick for his shin, making Kankuro yelp. The two brothers began a kicking war under the table while Temari stared up at the ceiling. While she was distracted, Lee swiped the bill, running to the front to pay for it. Gaara placed another hard kick to Kankuro’s shin before running after Lee.

“Temari’s going to kill you,” he said, standing next to Lee.

“That is okay, at least I will die knowing I did my best!”

Gaara rolled his eyes before placing a kiss on his well meaning boyfriend’s cheek. Once they had paid, and Lee had gotten scolded by Temari, they parted ways, Kankuro going to class and Temari running off to work, but not before firmly hugging both Lee and Gaara. They made plans for the following day to go to the zoo and walk around town, but for now, Lee and Gaara wanted to rest a bit more before they explored the city. They drove back to their hotel room, Lee’s eighties music blaring on the stereo as he sang along as loudly as he could. Gaara laughed as he sang into a pretend microphone, shoving it in Gaara’s face on the parts he knew. After a bit of driving, they arrived at the hotel and walked in.

Lee bolted into the room, picking Gaara up and throwing him onto the bed. He jumped onto him, kissing him gently. Gaara pulled Lee down on top of him, deepening the kiss and running his fingers through his hair.

“I’m so in love with you,” Lee murmured gently. Gaara smiled into his lips.

“I’m in love with you, too.”

Lee placed a few more soft kisses to Gaara’s face then flopped onto the bed beside them. Gaara grabbed his hand, rubbing it gently with his thumb.

“Lee, I’ve been meaning to ask you-”

“What my favorite color is? It’s green,” Lee said, cutting him off as he grinned.

“You know that’s not what I was going to say,” Gaara replied, rolling onto his side and smacking Lee on the chest. “I was going to ask. Do you think you’re ready to move in with me?”

Lee teared up, Gaara wiping the tears away gently with his thumbs. He had already expected the display of emotion.

“I would love to sleep next to you every night, Gaara. I would love to wake up with you, to cook dinner with you, to get to kiss you all of the time.”

“So, is that a yes?”

“Yes, absolutely!” Lee beamed, tears flowing freely down his face. Gaara smiled, his eyes gently tearing up, too. Lee wiped them away just as Gaara wiped his. They laughed lightly together before snuggling closer on the hotel bed. They drifted back into sleep, the warmth of Suna wrapping them in a comfortable drowsiness. Over the next few days, they spent more time with Gaara’s siblings who grew to love Lee more and more. Lee had loved them before he had even met them, knowing how much they meant to Gaara. When they got back to Konoha, they began packing Lee’s stuff to move him to Gaara’s apartment. Gai, Kakashi, Tenten, and even Neji helped move him, even though he didn’t have a lot of stuff. Lee, and now Gaara, too, were surrounded by people who loved them and were able to create a home together built off of that love.

Gaara would forever be grateful for the crack in the sidewalk that sent Lee tumbling into his life.


End file.
